Chapter 4
W ill had triple-checked the address on his GPS three times, sure that either it, or Quinn, had been fucking with him. The detective didn’t seem the type, but maybe he was different at home.
His home, which was apparently in the middle of nowhere.
Will was currently driving on a dirt road.
Was he still in Sydney? He had no idea. It didn’t feel like it.
If he wasn’t positive that Quinn was the best kind of man that ever existed, he might have thought this was where he was going to be lured away to his death.
When he turned the next corner and passed the rows of large pine trees, his eyes widened. Holy shit.
Behind a six-foot black timber post-and-rail fencing was a two-storey country house that looked like it had just come out of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine issue. Will checked his GPS again, but he was in the right place.
Quinn lived here?
He drove through the front gate and parked his black Jeep in the long stone driveway, leaving enough room for other cars to park if they needed to. He had no idea if Quinn and Peyton’s cars were already parked in the garage or not since it was closed.
He got out and stretched his legs as he looked around. There was a lot of open space. A quaint path led down to a nearby wooden pier that spread across half of a small lake. Further beyond that was a small forest. It was like he'd walked into another dimension.
He blinked up at the gorgeous house.
A tiered pathway led up to the front porch, broken up by two sets of three stairs.
On either side of the pathway were colourful garden beds that were flourishing since it was the start of spring.
The wraparound porch was surreal, with white railings that contrasted well against the dark-grey cladding.
Curtains in the floor-to-ceiling windows hid the inside of the house.
There was even a terrace on the balcony of the second floor.
The front door was as beautiful as the rest of the house, a deep mahogany brown with coloured stained-glass windows in four triangles to make a broken square.
Will rapped his knuckles on it and then looked around at the landscaping.
A lot of green grass, white stones, and bright flowers. It was too pretty to be real.
When Quinn opened the door, Will’s mind blanked out.
The house was stunning, but Quinn in jeans and a beige sweater was…
Will felt like he was having an out-of-body experience.
It wasn’t that Quinn wasn’t attractive in his suit; it was a suit, enough said.
But like this—relaxed, in his element, and wearing regular, everyday clothes—he was making every nerve in Will’s body come to life.
Fucking hell, no wonder Peyton had wanted to climb this man like a tree for so many years. How had Will never noticed before?
“Are you planning to stand on the porch forever, or are you coming in?”
“Why do you live so far out of town?” was the only thing that Will could think of to say as he stepped inside.
“It’s a family home,” Quinn said. “My grandmother gave it to me when she moved into town.”
That made more sense than anything Will had tried to think up.
“Peyton isn’t here yet. He said his shift was moved because of filling in earlier, so he’ll be here for dinner.”
“Yeah, I got the same message,” Will said. They should probably think about some kind of group chat while they were staying here.
“Let me show you where the spare rooms are. I wasn’t sure which one you’d both prefer, so I aired both of them out.”
Will squinted at Quinn. “Why wouldn’t we use both?”
“I’m hardly a prude, Will. You don’t have to sleep in separate beds while you’re in my home. I don’t expect a couple to sleep apart.”
Will froze. “Oh my god.” It couldn’t be this easy. Or stupid. “You think Peyton and I are together. That’s why… that’s why you’ve kept your distance all these years.”
Quinn’s lips parted in surprise as he closed the front door. “Are you… you’re saying you’re not? You two sleep together.”
Will was just as confused as Quinn looked. “Yeah, for years now. But we’re not dating or anything. We’re not together together.”
“You live together.”
“We’re roommates.”
“You’re in love with each other.”
“He’s my best friend.” Will could not believe they were having this conversation. All these years, Quinn had thought he and Peyton were dating?
Quinn rubbed his forehead, looking pained. Will wondered if the pink to his cheeks was from the heat or the conversation. Both?
“I don’t understand.”
“I think Peyton needs to be here for this conversation.” Because Will was not dealing with this on his own. That was highly unfair, and Peyton could shoulder some of the blame and some of the awkward conversation.
“Yes, I think you’re right,” Quinn said. He still seemed a bit dazed, and Will wondered if he needed to sit down. “C’mon, I’ll show you the—this way.”
Will looked around as Quinn led him through the living room.
It was a country-cottage-meets-modern style, and it…
worked. It was fucking incredible. The black leather couches were worn but not ratty, with handmade crochet blankets draped over the backs of them.
The cushions all over them were mismatched.
A large deep-blue rug covered most of the middle of the floor, with a large tree-trunk-looking coffee table in the centre.
A huge flat-screen TV was mounted to the opposite wall, bracketed on either side by shelves that held knickknacks and framed photos.
Will would be coming back to look at those.
In the centre wall was a large fireplace with a dark-brick hearth and mantel. A black metal grate surrounded the hearth. Everything was so clean, neat, and tidy.
“This place is incredible.”
“Thanks,” Quinn said. “I had a lot of it renovated and updated when Grandma moved out. I love her, but her style is a bit more eclectic than mine.”
Will couldn’t imagine anyone related to Quinn being “eclectic,” but what did he know? None of his siblings were anything like him, and his mother was a firecracker.
Quinn led the way into a huge open-plan kitchen/dining area.
It was as cosy as the lounge was. There was an old-style wooden table with chairs that had soft, pale-green cushions tied to them.
A fish tank with giant tropical fish stood next to a buffet cupboard that looked mostly filled with old books.
The tank was huge, at least one hundred fifty litres.
It was a thing of pure beauty. The stand it was on looked hand built, and the decorations inside the clear, crisp water were colourful and bright, perfectly in tune with the aquatic life within.
The U-style black marble benches were cluttered.
A glass fruit bowl was filled with apples, oranges, and bananas.
Baking supplies bunched at the end, like he’d forgotten to put them away.
Dirty dishes were in the sink. A small whiteboard on the fridge held scrawled writing.
Pictures were clamped to the fridge with random magnets.
It looked like holiday trips, Quinn surrounded by females that looked roughly his age and an older couple that were likely his parents.
There was also an even older woman, who Will guessed was the eclectic grandmother.
Based on her outfit… yeah, okay, Will could understand what Quinn meant.
He wondered if there were pictures somewhere of what the place used to look like. He’d like to see them.
“Help yourself to anything you want in the fridge.”
“Thanks.” Will hiked his backpack up on his shoulder and followed Quinn up a set of stairs and into a small hallway.
He wasn’t sure it could be called a hallway.
A nook? There was a door at the end and one in the middle to his left.
It was open and revealed a large bathroom, with a shower that looked like it had been made for a team of Olympic swimmers, along with a wide vanity with two sinks.
A huge spa that even Will would be able to stretch comfortably in was in the corner next to it.
This place was unreal. He could fit like three of his entire apartment in the place, maybe more.
The door at the end opened into a rumpus-style room that looked like a second living room. There were three closed doors leading from the room—two on one side and one on the other.
“The layout of the house takes getting used to,” Quinn said. He pointed to the one door. “That’s my room. The other two are guest rooms. They don’t have en suites, but the bathroom is—”
“In the hall,” Will supplied. “Yeah, I saw it. Should I eenie meenie this?” he asked, flicking his fingers between the two doors.
“I changed the sheets for both,” Quinn said. “They’re basically identical. They don’t get used very often, so I’ve had the windows open.” He shrugged. “I don’t really know what you might need. Just let me know if I’ve missed anything, and I can pick it up at the store tomorrow after work.”
Will bit his lip to stop from smiling. Was Quinn nervous?
Was he actually rambling? “If you have a bed and food, I’ll be just fine.
Let me know how much you want me to chip in for groceries and stuff.
” He opened the guest door and blinked. He turned his head to where Quinn was still watching him. “This is a guest room?”
“Is it not appropriate? If you want to stay with Aubrey, we can try to get some protection for you and—”